Worm Tea fertilizer

[peeweelovesbooks]

So, fellow brilliant board members....


I just unflasked some eulophiella elizabethae seedlings, and I was instructed to feed them worm tea fertilizer, as opposed to other types of fert.

If you use this, where do you get it? Do you get it in powder form or liquid? I've identified two companies that sell it in both forms. ...so I wanted your opinions.

Does it smell as bad as it looks?

Thanks and peace out. LOLOLOLOL

[markr]

It smells like damp, rich earth which essentially is what it is.

This stuff was all the rage at an orchid show I attended about a year ago so I looked into it a bit. The consensus from critical sources that I trust is that, properly applied, it is not measurably better or worse than regular chemical fert solutions, except that it speeds the breakdown of organic media like sphagnum moss. I decided there was no need for me to experiment with it on orchids. I might try it on some of my potted tomatoes.

[Turtle]

If you can't find the tea, you can make it yourself if you have access to a garden store that stocks worm castings. Steep it in water with a bit of molasses then strain the tea.

[orchidsamore]

For orchids you need to get the true 'worm tea' which is more properly called vermi-liquid.

The castings seeped in water are just that colored water.

The vermi-liquid has all the microbes that are necessary for a plant to absorb nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Without the microbes the chemical fertilizers are useless.

Castings are merely worm manure. It is a better fertilizer than cow manure but still missing the microbes in the vermi-liquid. Properly made castings should be dry and odorless. Too often they are harvested before full decomposition and then you are using compost rather than castings.

Castings are excellent for vegetable gardens and I use them heavily in the garden but for the orchids I use only the vermi-liquid.

I have used it extensively for two years and the results have been tremendous. The cost is reasonable as 4 gallons of diluted solution sprays 5000 orchids in my greenhouse.

I can flower Phalaenopsis 6 months out of the flask, Cattleya in under 2 years. Vanda flower several times a year for me.

As for new de-flasked seedlings, they are coming from a sterile environment and unless you add the microbes it will be quite a while before the microbes reproduce in whatever medium you are using from the air.

The improvement on seedlings is tremendous.

I also use Bracillus bacteria, a natural fungicide, and gibberelic acid a powerful root growing hormone both of which are made from seaweed. I mix all three and spray twice a month.

[peeweelovesbooks]

@ what concentration do you use the worm tea? do you recommend a specific vendor?thanks.

[Turtle]

orchidsamore, my argument to that is that unless you're producing your own vermi-liquid, or are getting it from a local farm, anything bought off of the shelf may have bacteria just as inert. You didn't mention above what your source is.

The required bacteria are aerobic bacteria--they require oxygen to survive. Stored and sealed containers essentially starve them giving active colonies a limited shelf life. So much the better if you have a local source for fresh tea. Otherwise, adding the solution to a sterile environment still requires the establishment of a new colony which will get stronger over the course of several applications; although different in bacteria, it is similar to cultivating the colonies needed to properly cycle a fish-tank which normally takes just a couple of weeks, or less if you have another live colony to draw from.

It is possible to revive the bacteria from shelf bought vermi liquid by aerating it and adding nutrients (such as the molasses), but it's not guaranteed. The longer it is sealed and stored, the greater the loss in bacterial culture and diversity.

Making your own tea from quality castings would have similar results. The bacteria that thrive in the aerobic environment are likely present (also in a diminished capacity) within the castings. Steeping the goods (if you don't have a store of rainwater, preferably in water that has been de-chlorinated and filtered to remove chloramine) and adding the black strap molasses (as a bacterial nutrient) will help to revive the present bacterial remnants and establish a colony over time.

Shame on me for making my earlier post too generic.

[orchidsamore]

My source of Vermi-liquid is OurVitalEarth. They use the Australian system to make a concentrate that dilutes 50-1.

Every batch I get is lab analyzed before release. The concentrate has been tested to show it is still full strength after one year on the shelf.

Normal home made vermi-liquid has a life of only 2-3 days. This is not a problem if you make your own and use it but makes it impossible to distribute to big box stores.

The product sold in Home Depot comes from a New York company who because of law suits admits they now boil the product before distribution.

The OVE product needs to have the caps slightly loose to allow oxygen to reach the microbes. This is not a problem for me or a hobbyist using the product, but big box stores would never do it.

The product is enhanced by the company adding ground minerals to the worm bed that adds 76 micro-nutrients to the vermi-liquid. Bracillus bacteria is also added to the feed. I add more bracillus in the form of Companion brand product from Growth Products.

Every time I talk to them I learn the science of making the product. It is amazing how they keep track of the feed given to the worms. It is a balance of shredded paper, plant greens and organic cow manure. If a lab analysis comes back insufficient in any degree the feed is adjusted and the vermi-liquid recycled until it meets their consistent release standard.

I have been a distributor of their product for two years as well as a distributor of products from Growth Products. Over this time thousands of people have tried the products from just from me and the glowing remarks I hear and repeat orders convinces me.

I have run numerous tests on orchids and results are published with photos at

http://orchidsamore.com/disease%20an...structions.htm

http://orchidsamore.com/disease%20an...%20results.htm

[Turtle]

That all sounds like a recommendation to me!